Turkish Leader Rushes to Site of Mine Flood

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey met on Wednesday with relatives of 18 people trapped in a coal mine in Anatolia.CreditKayhan Ozer/Presidential Press Office, via European Pressphoto Agency

By Sebnem Arsu

Oct. 29, 2014

ISTANBUL — President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey canceled Republic Day celebrations at the new presidential palace on the outskirts of Ankara, the capital, on Wednesday to observe rescue operations at a coal mine in southern Anatolia, where 18 people remained trapped more than 1,000 feet below the surface.

Mr. Erdogan appeared determined to show that he was taking the accident at the mine seriously. He drew harsh criticism in May for his handling of a mining accident in Soma that killed more than 300 people.

“We decided to cancel the reception due to the unfortunate mine accident in Karaman,” Mr. Erdogan said at the presidential residence on Wednesday, referring to the province where the accident took place. He added that he did not consider it appropriate to hold a lavish ceremony while miners remained trapped underground.

As miners were having lunch in one of the work galleries of a coal mine near the town of Ermenek on Tuesday, they became trapped by rising waters, news agencies reported. It was not immediately clear what had caused the flooding.

Witnesses told local news outlets that eight of the 26 miners were able to escape after the initial rush of water. Officials said 18 people were still trapped.

Mr. Erdogan’s rapid decision to visit the mine near Ermenek contrasted with his delayed visit to Soma, the site of Turkey’s deadliest mine disaster, in May.

Mr. Erdogan, who was prime minister at the time of the Soma accident, faced protests by residents in the area and the families of miners, who said he had not been attentive enough to safety in mines. A photograph that appeared to show one of his advisers kicking a protester during the Soma unrest was widely circulated in the news media.

The Ermenek mine was inspected in June and sealed after safety violations were identified. It was reopened in September after the violations were addressed, Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said late Tuesday, according to the television network CNN Turk.

More than 400 rescue workers, including divers, continued efforts overnight to extract miners, pumping water with high-capacity discharge pipes.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Mr. Erdogan arrived in Ermenek later in the day.

“If there’s negligence on part of any management or institution, they will definitely be accounted for,” said Mr. Davutoglu. Referring to the lack of advanced technological infrastructure in Turkey’s aging coal mines, he added, “Our mines should be rapidly modernized.”

Critics of the government say mining safety has not improved since the Soma accident brought new attention to poor working conditions and to lax enforcement of safety rules.

“I have two sons under there,” an unidentified man told CNN Turk late Tuesday night as he watched rescue operations.

An earlier version of this article, using information from news agencies, misstated the number of miners who escaped. Eight were able to escape, not 26 (there were 26 miners in the mine at the time of the accident).

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page A7 of the New York edition with the headline: Turkish Leader Rushes to Site of Mine Flood. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe